IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the dates, format and coverage plans for its 2021 Football Media Days, which will be held virtually August 3-4 and available to fans exclusively on ESPN+.
 
ESPN college football announcers Kris Budden and Rene Ingoglia will host the two-day event from The American's state-of-the-art studio in Irving, Texas. Former Houston quarterback – and 1989 Heisman Trophy winner - Andre Ware and The American's Morgan Uber will provide additional coverage and analysis.
 
Coverage will begin Tuesday, August 3, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with the American Media Day Pregame Show, a two-hour program that will preview the 2021 season, with a look at all 11 teams as well as top returning players and potential breakout stars. 
 
Wednesday's coverage will consist of two programs, at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET, as head coaches and student-athletes from The American's 11 teams take part in scheduled 25-minute media sessions. Commissioner Mike Aresco will deliver opening remarks to begin the morning session and will be available for questions from the media as well.

The list of participating student-athletes includes four players who were named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player: UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III and SMU wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr.; and four who were on the Bednarik Award watch list as the top defensive player: Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner, Houston cornerback Marcus Jones, Memphis defensive back Quindell Johnson and Tulsa defensive tackle Jaxon Player. Gardner and Jones were both All-America selections in the 2020 season.

The American is coming off another banner season in 2020 as the league produced another top-10 team and New Year's Six bowl participant as Cincinnati finished No. 8 in the final rankings following the Bearcats' appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It marked the fifth time in seven seasons of the College Football Playoff era that The American was represented in the New Year's Six and the fourth top-10 finish by an American Athletic Conference team in the league's eight seasons. The conference also had the winners of the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player (Tulsa LB Zaven Collins) and the Campbell Trophy as college football's top scholar-athlete (Memphis QB Brady White).
 
   
Coverage
The American's Football Media Days will be exclusively available on ESPN+. Kris Budden and Rene Ingoglia will anchor the coverage with analysis and additional features with Andre Ware and Morgan Uber.
 
Tuesday, August 3
The American Media Day Pregame Show | 7 p.m. ET | (ESPN+)
 
Wednesday, August 4
American Media Day Session 1 | 9:30 a.m. ET | (ESPN+)
9:35 a.m. | Commissioner Mike Aresco
10:05 a.m. | SMU (Head Coach Sonny Dykes, Reggie Roberson Jr., Delano Robinson)
10:35 a.m. | Tulane (Head Coach Willie Fritz, Michael Pratt, Nick Anderson)
11:05 a.m. | Cincinnati (Head Coach Luke Fickell, Desmond Ridder, Ahmad Gardner)
11:35 a.m. | Houston (Head Coach Dana Holgorsen, Marcus Jones, Clayton Tune)
12:05 p.m. | UCF (Head Coach Gus Malzahn, Dillon Gabriel, Kalia Davis)
 
American Media Day Session 2 | 1:30 p.m. ET | (ESPN+)
1:35 p.m. | Memphis (Head Coach Ryan Silverfield, Calvin Austin III, Quindell Johnson)
2:05 p.m. | Temple (Head Coach Rod Carey, Jadan Blue, Amir Tyler)
2:35 p.m. | Navy (Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo, Kevin Brennan)
3:05 p.m. | East Carolina (Head Coach Mike Houston, Holton Ahlers, Ja'Quan McMillian)
3:35 p.m. | South Florida (Head Coach Jeff Scott, Demetris Harris, Mekhi LaPointe)
4:05 p.m. | Tulsa (Head Coach Philip Montgomery, Jaxon Player, Keylon Stokes)
 
all times Eastern